In Naruto with the Flame-Flame Fruit

"I'm not dying that easily."

A mass of snakes were summoned all at once—so many that they formed a slithering, writhing tide that would make anyone's scalp tingle. One of the larger snakes slithered up behind him, opened its mouth wide, and swallowed him whole before burrowing into the ground.

"Ran off, did he?"

With a flick of the wrist, a puppet was deployed and used to shred the incoming snakes into pieces.

Chiyo didn't bother pursuing him. Instead, she charged back into the battlefield—only for the very same giant serpent that had swallowed Kiyosuke to erupt from the earth again, its jaws opening wide as it spewed a massive wave of flames.

Chiyo blocked the flames, sneering coldly.

"You think cheap tricks like that can catch me off guard? Don't insult me."

In midair, the flames twisted into the shape of a human silhouette, floating overhead.

"It's not meant to insult you," said Kiyosuke, his voice echoing from the fiery figure. "But don't underestimate me either."

No sooner had the words left his mouth than a pillar of fire surged up from underground.

And then another.

And another.

This was only the beginning.

Pillars of flame erupted in rapid succession, surrounding Chiyo and sealing off every possible escape route. Even the ground beneath her feet was growing unbearably hot.

Below the surface, Kiyosuke's shadow clone increased its output, coordinating with the others. Their combined flames converged directly under Chiyo, just moments away from detonating.

"Hmph... You've got more tricks than I expected. I did underestimate you," Chiyo admitted. "But those of us who've survived this long all have ways to do so."

Ten puppets emerged all at once, each connected to one of Chiyo's ten fingers by shimmering chakra threads.

The Chikamatsu Ten Puppets!

A masterpiece of Monzaemon, the first puppet master. This secret jutsu allowed the user to simultaneously control ten elite-level puppets in combat. In the past, Chiyo alone had used this technique to take down an entire fortress.

Boom!

The ground exploded beneath her.

Flames roared skyward like a volcanic eruption—spectacular and unmistakable across the entire battlefield.

"…Tch. Didn't work."

Kiyosuke let out a low grunt. That technique had drained a large amount of his chakra—but not enough to take him out of the fight.

Ever since the war began, his chakra had grown steadily stronger. Compared to the past, he now had far more to draw on. There was no need to worry.

From within the inferno, something burst out—a sphere of spinning flame that quickly scattered. Out of the smoke emerged the Chikamatsu puppets, their robes half-burned, and Chiyo herself, only barely shielded by one of her puppets. She looked more than a little disheveled.

Chiyo's eyes darkened as she stared Kiyosuke down.

"Whether we win or lose this war, one thing is certain—you will not walk away alive, boy."

With power like his, this child could not be allowed to live.

If Konoha produced another monster like White Fang, Sunagakure would never lift its head again.

Someone this young wielding this much firepower? Unacceptable.

If another enemy like that emerged, her village's future would be doomed. For Chiyo, killing this child—no matter the cost—was the only path forward. Otherwise, the Hidden Sand would never rise again.

"Let me end your life with this secret art—White Secret Technique: The Chikamatsu Ten Puppets!"

"So this is Monzaemon's grand work, huh?" Kiyosuke said, sounding almost impressed.

"Pretty neat action figures. You puppet masters ever consider quitting the ninja business and going into toy manufacturing? You'd make a killing."

Chiyo frowned. His thoughts jumped around too fast for her to follow.

"You clearly know a lot about us. All the more reason you have to die here."

"Not necessarily."

Kiyosuke shook his head. "Shadow Clone Jutsu!"

Three fiery clones burst into existence, each one charging straight at Chiyo.

Chiyo swiftly maneuvered three puppets into a formation resembling the character for "crowd" (众). As her hands formed seals, the mouth mechanisms of each puppet opened, revealing the characters "Buddha," "Law," and "Monk." Together, they generated a violent whirlwind.

The storm drew in Kiyosuke and his clones, pulling them toward the eye of the vortex.

"Damn it!"

Kiyosuke cursed, but he wasn't about to give up. Just as the clones were dragged into the storm's center, they all exploded simultaneously. The combined blast of heat and force shattered the formation in an instant.

"Mirror Flame!"

A wave of fire surged forward, but two puppets opened their arms and projected a blue energy barrier, blocking the blaze.

Chiyo's fingers danced as she pulled the strings. Three more puppets swept around the firewall, flanking him from multiple angles.

One puppet spewed water from its mouth, soaking Kiyosuke from head to toe. He gasped—caught off guard. His body could no longer shift into elemental form while drenched.

Another puppet launched its arm, which burst midair into a swarm of poisoned senbon.

A giant serpent appeared, shielding Kiyosuke from the incoming projectiles.

Just as he prepared to evaporate the water clinging to his body, the serpent was sliced in half.

A blade-wielding puppet lunged through its corpse, giving him no time to recover.

Clang! Clang! Clang!

Kiyosuke clashed repeatedly with the puppet's longsword, dodging and deflecting as he retreated, rapidly trying to think of a counterattack.

Then something wrapped around him.

A cord. Fast.

Before he could react, a blade came down toward his head.

Crap—this is it!

Clang!

A metal staff intercepted the blow just in time.

A figure stepped forward—Shinnosuke, arriving with reinforcements.

Wounded but standing, Shinnosuke said,

"You alright, Kiyosuke?"

"I'm fine."

Flames ignited across Kiyosuke's body, evaporating the water instantly.

"Captain Shinnosuke, be careful," he warned. "Those ten puppets are the Chikamatsu Ten. They coordinate flawlessly—I got caught off guard by their formation just now."

Each puppet had its own specialty: long-range, melee, single-target, physical, elemental, even sealing. Offense, defense, everything covered. Their synergy was nearly perfect.

"I know. Everyone's heard of Chiyo of the Sand," said Shinnosuke, gripping his adamantine staff tightly. "But picking on kids? That's beneath her."

"You—" Chiyo narrowed her eyes. "That weapon… boy, are you of the Sarutobi Clan? What's your relation to Sarutobi Hiruzen?"

"He's my father."

"Well, isn't that something," she sneered. "Konoha's White Fang took my son and daughter-in-law from me. That bastard killed himself before I could get my revenge. Since I can't have his head... yours will do in its place."

"My head's right here," Shinnosuke replied coolly. "Come and take it if you can."

He gave Kiyosuke a short nod. "Same as always?"

"Got it!"

The two of them had worked together for some time in the same assassination squad. Their coordination was second nature.

They split instantly—Kiyosuke charged in first.

Shinnosuke, meanwhile, created a shadow clone and rushed forward behind him.

His staff extended, shooting past Kiyosuke's body and impaling a scythe-wielding puppet.

Two other puppets lunged from different directions.

Shinnosuke's clone formed seals. "Earth Style: Multi Mud Wall!"

Walls of earth sprang up on either side, blocking both attack paths.

Kiyosuke burst through the wall, fist glowing.

Shinnosuke's adamantine staff swept out, smashing two puppets away.

Kiyosuke landed a punch, destroying one puppet, and dashed straight toward Chiyo.

But up close, he realized—it was a puppet.

Suddenly, black runes crawled up his entire body. A dark circle formed at his feet, with a single word at the center:

"Seal."

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Pls Drop some Power Stones

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